


Doc Ock Attacking the Block

by IronMum



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Peter Parker, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FebuWhump2021, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, I can't lose you too, Irondad, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29272536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronMum/pseuds/IronMum
Summary: Febuwhump AltPrompt: "I can't lose you too""No, something’s wrong," Peter responded harsher than he’d intended, concern filled eyes now on his friend. Ned only needed to briefly meet the look to spot his friend’s slightly paler skin and visible fear."Alright dude," he’d said as his fingers furiously typed as fast as they could, eyes not even initially looking at the screen as he did so. He gulped the moment he saw the breaking news headlines flashing up.In complete and utter disbelief, Peter had now reached for his own phone and was already eyeing up the titles before clicking on the first link. A flush of hot, prickling anxiety crawled all the way down the teen’s body, rippling off his skin when he saw the live news footage. A dishevelled and worse-for-wear looking Tony was being held in a vice like grip by notorious villain, Doctor Otto Octavius.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 82





	Doc Ock Attacking the Block

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kevy_Grayce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kevy_Grayce/gifts).



> Welcome to the first of some of the Febuwhump's I have managed! This is for the alt prompt, "I can't lose you too!" This is somewhat an Irondad-esque version of the Doc Ock vs Spider-Man fight we've already seen in the movies (one of my absolute favourites so I couldn't resist the self indulgent spin!)  
> There will be a full weekend of posting next week!

There was a small gathering of students across the cafeteria that Peter had initially been ignoring. But with his enhanced hearing, he was sure he’d heard Tony’s name be mentioned in shocked tones and it was becoming harder and harder to disregard. When the crowd had got larger and gasps could be heard, he turned to Ned who already had his phone out.

"Hey, can you Google Tony’s name?" he asked, tapping his friend's shoulder multiple times as his eyes remained fixed on the other students.

"Really Peter? You worried he’s going to see your internet history or something? I’m sure he doesn’t mind the fanboying," Ned jested back, shrugging his shoulder in an attempt to bat the offending hand away.

"No, something’s wrong," Peter responded harsher than he’d intended, concern filled eyes now on his friend. Ned only needed to briefly meet the look to spot his friend’s slightly paler skin and visible fear.

"Alright dude," he’d said as his fingers furiously typed as fast as they could, eyes not even initially looking at the screen as he did so. He gulped the moment he saw the breaking news headlines flashing up. 

In complete and utter disbelief, Peter had now reached for his own phone and was already eyeing up the titles before clicking on the first link. A flush of hot, prickling anxiety crawled all the way down the teen’s body, rippling off his skin when he saw the live news footage. A dishevelled and worse-for-wear looking Tony was being held in a vice like grip by notorious villain, Doctor Otto Octavius. 

The young hero’s phone fell from his trembling grip and a low, guttural groan escaped before he was on his feet and dashing out of the room quicker than Ned or MJ could stop him. His senses becoming overbearing as his vision tunnelled and hearing diminished as he barely registered knocking into another student. Once he had burst through the school doors, he’d sprinted to the gates and jumped over them without any difficulty, before finding the quickest place to change. In his panicked state, he had fumbled with the zip of his bag, then almost fallen over as he had got undressed and into the suit. 

"Hello Peter," Karen had chimed as Peter launched himself high onto the wall before beginning his swing to Manhattan. "Your heart rate seems to be elevated."

"Karen, could you just- Could you please just pull up a live feed of Doc Ock right now?" Peter demanded, the underlying nervousness in his voice detectable to the AI. Peter internally shuddered when the small square of footage popped up on his HUD. The movements of Tony’s limbs were almost ragdoll like as Octavius scaled the building with ease. The sight alone had him overexerting himself further, his body being pushed to its absolute limit in an effort to reach the Tower in record time.

"Peter. I understand you are trying to reach Mr. Stark as quickly as possible, but if you push yourself too hard, you may injure yourself," Karen stated, voice far softer than he was used to. Peter had wanted to reply to her, he really did. But the all-encompassing feeling of helplessness and dread were suffocating his every thought.

Within ten minutes, the Avengers Tower was in sight, smashed windows and debris plaguing its usual pristine appearance. Karen had tried to coax Peter into slowing down a couple more times during the journey but had swiftly learnt her attempts were futile. The crux had been when he’d raised his voice that he couldn’t lose anyone else and disabled her to avoid the distraction.

Landing just above his target, Peter remained in a defensive crouch on the side of the building.

"Let him go," the teen called out shakily, anxiety spiking further. The scientist grinned sadistically, flashing his teeth and tilting his head curiously. Peter would’ve responded to the movement if his eyes weren’t immediately focused on his mentor. Tony was in civilian clothing and there seemed to be a tear in the shirt he wore where his housing unit would usually be. There was a deep gash on his head, a trail of blood dripping down the side of his shaken and pale face. 

"Let him go, eh? Poor choice of words Spider-Man," the villain jeered as the mechanical arm holding Tony lurched back before hurtling him towards the ground. The sheer terror in his mentor's eyes would be permanently ingrained in Peter's mind as his first instinct was to save the older man. The moment the webbing he’d shot latched onto Tony’s torso, Peter flung him back up the building with as much momentum as he could whilst ensuring he wouldn’t cause any harm. Just before Tony had made it to the intended level, a metallic claw grabbed onto the teen’s chest and slammed him into the wall twice. The momentum had the older man stopping just short of the balcony, his hands having to frantically grip onto the ledge. 

When Peter was pummelled a third time, he webbed the doctor’s head, bringing his face within reach to punch it hard enough to shatter his glasses. Octavius cried out and maneuvered away enough for Peter to make a quick escape. He couldn’t tell if his skin was tingling painfully at the sight of Tony in such distress or because he was once again pushing his body beyond its capabilities in order to crawl up as fast as possible.

"I've got you, Mr. Stark. Sorry I wasn't sooner," Peter rambled apologetically as he reached his mentor and took a hold shoes. As if the older man weighed no more than a feather, Peter boosted him up and with a quick shimmy he was finally safely on the platform. 

Tony took several steadying breaths before shifting himself into a semi-seated position. He’d gone to thank his mentee when he saw the cascading chaos of mechanical limbs racing towards them. His face quickly contorted into a mixture of concern and danger at the exact same time Peter’s lens widened and Spider Senses tingled.

"Pete!" Tony called out, instinctively leaning an arm over the edge for his mentee to grab onto. It was a completely illogical move considering the young hero was not only already suited up - unlike himself - but could also stick to walls. However, the motion happened with barely any thought other than a protective intuition that had come from caring for the kid.

Before Peter could muster a verbal response, he felt his ankle crunch under the grip of a claw and found himself being dragged back down to Octavius level. In a similar fashion to his mentor, he’d also shot his arm out towards his mentor, like a child would when reaching for the safety of their parent.

Peter and Doc Ock found themselves grappling and rolling against the side of the tower. No matter what position they were in, the villain always had two metallic tentacles anchored onto the metal architecture of the building, whilst the others carried out an onslaught of attacks. When one would mercilessly slam Peter into the windows, the teen would be quick to counter with a knee to the gut or punch to the side of the head where the glasses had shattered.

"Quieter than normal, Spidey. Have I hit a nerve?" Octavius taunted. Peter didn’t grace him with a response, just gripped the collar of his opponent’s shirt and wrenched backwards so they were freefalling towards the ground in a tangle of limbs. Any level of distress Peter had been feeling was now being funnelled into a furious rage. An anger so intense he had only experienced it once before when he’d tracked down the killer of Uncle Ben. He knew he wasn’t holding back his hits as much as he should, but in that very moment, it had felt good to just let loose.

Their descent came to a jarring halt when one of the claws managed to grasp onto some of the building’s framework, the whiplash of the movement causing both to let a grunt of pain out. Peter found himself at a slight disadvantage having not prepared for the stop as much as Otto, allowing the villain to seize a hold of the teen’s upper back and smash his face into the tower. The young hero screamed out in pain as one of his lenses shattered on impact. Before he could try and push himself away, his face was being dragged across the exterior of the building and he felt his mask begin to give way around the broken lens due to the pressure. Satisfied with the damage caused, Octavius suddenly launched the teen over his shoulder at such velocity he smashed through the brickwork of the adjacent establishment and landed in an office.

For just a few seconds, Peter had blacked out from the impact of his landing and the aggressive ringing in his ears almost had him pulling off his mask. Then his blurred vision allowed him just enough sight to realize he was surrounded by several strangers. The teen tried to shift away, but his taut muscles pinched and protested at the movement, a dull ache in his ribs indicating he had at least a couple of fractures.

As his senses sharpened more and more, he desperately began to search the surroundings. A hand extended in front of him and he looked up to see a worker, the forced friendly smile barely deceiving the worried look etched on their face. The young hero took it gratefully, wobbling as he got to his feet. 

_Oh fuck_. Once upright Peter had caught a glimpse of his face in a nearby computer and barely suppressed a gasp. Almost half of his face was on show. The left lens was missing, revealing an already swelling eye surrounded by multiple small scratches. There was significant damage to the lower half too, a rip from his left cheek down to his mouth revealed a cut lip and graze down his face. He managed to stifle a nauseated whimper when a comforting hand was placed on his shoulder.

"It’s okay. We won’t say anything," the man who had helped him up confirmed. When Peter made eye contact with the others in the room one by one, they all nodded their head in agreement. There was barely any time for a thank you when the sound of crashing had several of them startling. Pushing past how light-headed he felt, Peter suddenly remembered why he had even ended up in the building. 

Gesturing for the workers to step back, Peter webbed either side of the hole he’d produced in the building before pulling back in preparation to catapult himself back into the fight, despite his body protesting. As the web strained he released and as if in slow motion, Octavius was facing him just before he was about to make contact. The villain had been waiting for this moment, waiting to land a fatal blow to the superhero as one of his mechanical limbs behind his back produced a spear-like weapon. The whirring of a repulsor beam shot through the air, disintegrating the spear intended to end Peter’s life.

Octavius shrieked as his claws assumed control and shifted him from the position. It was time to consider a retreat considering he could see the red and gold of the Iron Man armour above him and Spider-Man now back on the building. Considering their injuries, he decided to cautiously test the waters.

Peter’s webs were being fired, impeding a lot of the villain’s movement and allowing Tony to carry out attack after attack. The duo were working so well in unison that they began to get the high ground. It was clear they were tactically compatible and had likely fought side by side before.

Knowing when enough was enough, Octavius ripped through some of the tower and sent debris tumbling towards the civilians on the ground to ensure his retreat. It successfully distracted the pair as Peter quickly dived to web the first lot up, whilst Tony sped towards the second and third lot. A fourth lot was then unleashed before Octavius was out of sight.

When everyone was safe below and the debris was handled, Peter had gone to swing in the direction he’d seen the villain escape.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., gimme some juice," Tony demanded as he aimed his speed and trajectory with his mentee. Peter’s attempted manhunt was ended when he was snatched out of the air as metal arms gently encased around his middle. Tony already knew there were injuries in the area so did his best to not aggravate them. He was also acutely aware that by the time he stumbled inside and suited up, Peter’s comms were not functioning.

The young hero barely had a chance to fight back before they landed on the balcony area that Tony had initially been saved on. The older man had quickly decamped from his suit and was eyeing the teen up.

"He's getting away!" Peter yelled, voice riddled with adrenalin as his hands violently trembled and bottom lip wobbled. He just about raised an arm up in the direction the villain had gone. Even if some of Peter’s face wasn’t exposed, Tony could sense the gritted teeth and blossoming tears threatening to release at any moment. The boy's head occasionally bopped forward then to the side as he tried to control the invading emotions and pounding headache he was suffering from.

Tony had seen Peter in action before but this whole attack had been _different_. On a daily basis, Tony feared for Peter's safety. Even when he'd used Happy as a wall of defense or his own glasses as a mask to hide the lack of eye contact he could make with those big, puppy browns. He almost wondered if living with this level of dread and terror is what Pepper had to go through with his own superheroing antics on a daily basis. It was honestly, utterly exhausting. He couldn't let anything happen to his kid and right now, he was in an absolute state. Not only was his suit a wreck but he was clearly not putting weight on one of his legs as much as the other and there were visible angry looking wounds all over. He was about to open his mouth when Peter continued.

"I… I can't lose you too," Peter confessed quietly, and his rigid body suddenly slackened in defeat. Tense shoulders sagged and his head drooped down in shame and embarrassment. It was an admission he’d never anticipated he’d have to make out loud because he naively thought he'd always prove himself to be good back up. The truth was slamming into him harder than any of Octavius’ hits had. If he wasn’t good enough to save Ben, what hope did he have of being good enough to save Tony?

"If you... If something happened... you're like... you're my…" The words stumbled out as he tried his hardest to express his feelings, but they died on the tip of his tongue every time. As if admitting how much he looked up to Tony, would solidify the same fate Ben had suffered. And not a day had gone by when he wasn’t mentally punishing himself with unbearable guilt and questioning the what ifs of that traumatic night. 

Now he’d almost lost Tony. It wasn't logical that he would’ve known Tony was in peril considering he was at school, but who was he to try and stop his grief stricken mind from thinking anything but this being his fault. Peter couldn't even bring himself to see his mentor’s huge worried eyes; he didn't deserve the attention right now.

"Oh, buddy," Tony muttered softly as he closed the gap between them and enveloped the teen in a loving hug. Their chins were perched on each other’s shoulders as their cheeks touched, Tony feeling the tears flowing freely from the exposed part of Peter’s face. He could feel the vigilante gripping onto his shirt in an attempt to ground himself. 

Tony desperately fought to find the words to comfort the teen but he was honestly stumped. He wanted more than anything to promise he would always be there and that everything would be okay. But the reality was no one could ever keep such a thing. Not even Peter, with a heart pure as gold would be able to tell someone he would be forever safe. He opted instead to coax them inside so they could at least get the physical wounds checked out then focus on the ever so fragile emotional ones. As he’d pulled away, Peter had let out a gut wrenching whimper that shook Tony to his very core. 

"I’m here, kiddo. I’m here," he assured in a hushed tone. "Let’s just get you inside before prying eyes fly by the tower."

At that, Peter loosened just enough so one arm remained over Tony’s shoulder, his mentor's arm remaining around his mid and bearing some of his weight. They hobbled inside, Tony leading them straight towards a white leather couch. 

Peter had been too bleary eyed to notice this wasn't a room he had been in before as he started to gaze into nothingness. His mentor left his side ever so briefly to grab a nearby medkit, watching as he seemed to stare off in a catatonic state. Tony was quick to dash back to the kid’s side when Peter lifted a hand to his face and went to yank his mask off, the movements almost robotic.

"I don’t want you pulling that off considering all that damage," Tony warned, whilst attempting to keep his voice as soft and sincere as possible. When Peter didn’t react, the older man tapped the chest of the Stark Suit allowing it to go lax. He then carefully pried the mask off and allowed the top half of the suit to fall down. 

Tony absolutely had no intention of panicking but his brain was screaming what the fuck at the sight of the battered body and face before him. There were deep, dark bruises in the shape of claw marks already formed where they had gripped over Peter’s shoulder and around his torso. He sucked in a breath when he looked at the teen's face. Abrasions and nicks would all heal within hours, but the swelling around the eye where the lens had smashed looked incredibly painful.

"Hey, Pete. Do you mind if I get someone to check over your eye? It’s not looking too good right now and I just want to be sure. I don't think I am quite qualified enough to do it." 

"Will you get your head checked out too?" Peter bargained quietly as his eyes met Tony’s before shifting upwards to the wound on his mentor’s forehead.

"That’s a deal, Underoos." Tony replied with a reassuring half smile. "FRI, can you get some medical assistance in here for us?"

"Yes, boss," she chimed as she simultaneously sent the medical team the pair's vitals.

It had only taken a few minutes before a couple of gurneys were being wheeled into the room and Tony all but frowned, offended that his AI had asked for that level of assistance for them both. Unfortunately for him, the medical personnel had been pretty insistent they both lie down. When he’d seen that Peter was being equally difficult he settled for sharing one with the kid.

"Come here, kiddo," he urged, scooting onto the gurney and holding a hand out. A medic helped Peter stand and kept a firm grip onto his arm as he limped the one step over before wiggling on. The young hero lay gingerly beside his mentor, head resting on Tony’s shoulder as his mentor’s arm wrapped around him. 

"Sorry," Peter mumbled as his healing factor desperately fought to shut his body down. "Think I’m bleeding… On shirt."

"Geez. Kid. Do not apologize for having a head injury." Tony light-heartedly scoffed, as he gripped Peter’s shoulder ever so slightly. 

When the elevator dinged at the medical ward, Tony offered his best smile to Dr. Cho as she greeted them instantly. It soon fell flat as her facial features remained hardened at the sight of the pair. She looked as if she had wanted to talk to Tony in private but for the sake of Peter he decided to boldly remain put. 

"I want a full body scan of Peter ASAP. Part of the suit seemed to go offline following one of the hits and we lost some of the data. I don’t want any bone breaks or fractures mishealing." The doctor was walking at a fast pace, the medics wheeling the pair just about keeping up. 

Peter’s muscles tensed at not only what she was saying, but at the sound of Tony’s heart increasing ever so slightly. A lot of his body was aching and hurting, particularly with the adrenalin wearing off. He mentally tried to debrief himself just how many times he'd smashed into the tower but his brain was simply too frazzled.

"Sure," Peter managed hoarsely as he was gently lifted away from Tony. He offered his mentor a gentle nod as the gurney came to a halt as they’d reached their destination. 

"I’ll be waiting right outside," Tony reassured.

"No, you’ll be going with my associate to get your head stitched up and then I’ll have you brought to the room Peter will be in once we are done here," Helen stated, as she raised both brows. As Peter was assisted onto the scanner, Tony found himself being led out of the room. Heartstrings tugging far more than they had ever been before despite knowing the teen was in the best hands.

Peter woke with an almighty jolt, after what had felt like one of the deepest sleeps he'd had in a long time. His jumbled thoughts were trying to come up with answers on where he was, why he was there and most importantly where Tony was. Flashbacks were tangled between the fight between himself and Doc Ock and a recurring nightmare he had been suffering for the past month. 

Some of the questions the teen were resolved pretty instantly when his eyes managed to open and focus on the room and his surroundings. The plain grey walls of one of the medbay rooms, the crisp white sheets of a hospital bed. The dull throbbing of an IV in his hand. He was pretty sure he could see the outline of a cast around one of his feet under the sheet which explained why it felt so uncomfortable and itchy. 

Then to his left, his mentor. Sat at an incredibly awkward angle that was sure to cause neck ache when he woke from his own slumber, arms loosely folded across his chest and the sound of gentle snoring from his slightly open mouth. He allowed his eyes too close just so he could absorb everything. When he let out a steadying breath, Tony let out a snore loud enough to startle himself awake and the pair met each other’s gaze. 

"Hey, buddy. You been awake long?" Tony asked as he slid his chair forward and rubbed a hand over his tired face. 

"Just woke up," Peter replied groggily. "Are you okay?"

"Little headache but nothing a few painkillers aren’t keeping under control. How’re you doing? You remember what happened after the scan?"

"I don't think so…" He hesitated and Tony was quick to fill in the missing details.

"You had a fractured fibula that wanted to heal a little wonky. Cho was worried about it, hence the cast you can probably feel. Everything else looked okay, your eye swelling is going down now too. Are you feeling any pain at all? Hungry? Thirsty?"

"I’m okay, Mr Stark." Peter responded, the look in his eyes deceiving his attempt at a lie. 

"Guess you won't want any of the pizza I just ordered then. Even the one with the blasphemous pineapple on." Tony jested in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

Peter smiled just momentarily before looking at the bed and grabbing a hold of the sheets to stop his fingers from fumbling. It was obvious he needed to get something off of his chest and he was thankful that his mentor wasn’t pushing him to do so.

"I think I might be a piping hot mess, Mr. Stark," he finally admitted with an exaggerated exhale.

"Your mentor is me. It was bound to happen."

Peter had let out a scoff at the answer before sneaking a look at Tony who was simply watching him intently. After a few minutes of contemplation and somewhat uncomfortable silence, Tony stood up from his seat and perched himself on the side of his kid's bed.

"I’d never force you to talk about something you don’t want to, kiddo. But I’m pretty sure I have an inkling on what’s going on in that Spidey brain of yours. And I’m never usually far off so I'll go ahead and say it. I want you to know it wasn't your fault. Today wasn’t. And the past wasn't. You didn’t force knock off kraken legs to go on a rampage... And you didn’t put the gun in that criminal's hand. And whilst you go through this process and carry that weight… You don’t need to do it alone. I’m not very good at the whole talking thing so I’d completely understand if you wanted to talk to someone else like… Bruce. He’s my go to guy. He sometimes sleeps on the job. But you catch my drift, right?" Tony chewed on his lower lip, wondering if he’d said too much in this unchartered territory.

"That means a lot. Thank you, Mr. Stark," Peter acknowledged humbly. "Sorry I lost control a little today."

"You were feeling some pretty heavy emotions today and to apologize for that minimizes them. You're only human, Peter. And what you were feeling then and now are valid. Now, I'm going to ban anymore sorries for at least a day." Tony reprimanded softly as he placed a hand on Peter's less injured shoulder. 

"You're the best, Mr. Stark… And if you err, ever wanted to talk. And you didn't want them to fall asleep, let me know."

"What can I say? I’m just looking after the little guy," Tony replied with a genuine smile that Peter reciprocated.


End file.
